DIY Advent Calender

   
      I LOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEE the Holidays! I love the smells, the food, the guests, the made for TV cheesy movies that my hubby laughs at me for...I love it all! I especially love that for the first time all year the whole world seems to be in sync with teaching my child about selflessness and giving and love for others. I love that there is an entire season that is dedicated to my Savior and the songs that everyone plays on the radio are about family and love and togetherness.

   The one issue I find though is that with the constant commercialization of Christmas it can be overwhelming for a toddler, for anyone really. They hear "if you're good Santa will bring you presents" or "You better behave if you want gifts!"...I don't want my son to think that Christmas is solely about what he can get. It's not about the haul he makes every year under the tree...don't get me wrong, he's spoiled every year by all the grandparents and aunts and uncles and gets more toys than I can count...but my job as his mom is to teach him to be thankful for them all because of who gave them to him, not because of what they are. Does that make sense? I firmly believe that a gas station toy truck picked up last minute is just as meaningful as a fancy electronic gizmo and should be treated with the same respect and sense of thankfulness. That doesn't happen overnight though. We instill that into our children over time with our words and actions. We model that behavior and also show them how to do so by allowing them situations to practice it. 

   When I started researching Advent Calenders I didn't find any that fit my needs financially, family wise, or time wise. I needed something that could change yearly as we grow as a family, move, or as our finances change. So I took several ideas that I liked and combined them with some of our favorite family traditions to create our Advent Calendar. I'm hoping it works for you too!

 

Not above using Grandparents to my advantage...

 

Kept him behaving for two weeks!

   Here's how it goes...

1. Start with 25 Envelopes and Cards of your liking. I personally use Kraft Brown for both because it matches our Christmas decor and wrapping but you could use whatever you want!  On the Envelopes write the Numbers 1-25. On the Cards write one thing from your list of things that you decided upon. Match your Card with your Day and put it into your Envelope. The best part is that next year you can change the order of you need to, just remember not to seal the envelope! :)

2. Decide upon your order based upon your checks, school activities, work days, family movie preferences, family visiting on certain days, etc...there's a lot going on in life. Don't let your calender be a burden. Make it work for you! Just be smart about it, obviously certain things need to be done earlier in the month than others. whereas baking cookies for Santa may need to wait a while :)

3. Some days require things to be done and therefore require supplies to do them. I start picking the supplies up as early as possible. PJ's on sale, Gingerbread house kits in October, Mini Candy Canes from the dollar tree...I scour Pinterest starting in July when I have free time for ideas that are cheap and quick but still meaningful and then make a supply list. As things pop up on sale I buy them and stash them away. Come November the Advent Calender is done. I even wrap the supplies so my toddler and hubby feel like they get a gift every day. It's cheesy but effective. It gets them hyped about family time and community service. Having everything pre-gathered makes it quick and easy as well as one less thing I have to stress about. It is also one less thing in the budget to worry about.

4. Below is our list but you can change it to fit your traditions. I promise no one will be offended :) Think of it as a kickstarter for your brain. Just try to keep a balance between family time and community thankfulness. It is about teaching your child  

Home Depot for a tree...weird I know!

Some kids are soooo dramatic about hanging lights...

1. Let's Go Christmas Tree Shopping!

2. Let's Decorate the Tree!

Ornament 2013

3. Homemade Ornaments for Grandparents

4. Write Letters to Santa

Torts are easier :)

5. Bake an Apple Pie

6. Take Cookies to Fireman

                      7. Family Movie night ~"Charlie Brown Christmas"

Like Father, Like Son

Mason chose the colors across the board
on this. Let your kids have a say :)

8. Build A Gingerbread House
9. Family Movie Night ~"How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
10. Homemade Hot Cocoa with the Family

11. Teacher Appreciation Day

                             

PInterest is your friend!

12. Visit Veteran's Retirement Center with Mini Candy Canes
13. Pull Names and go Shopping! ($10 limit)
14. Visit Santa!

15. Daddy / Monkey time :)

Kid Crack!!!!

16.Quiet Day (no yelling, timeouts, etc...everyone on their best behavior for Santa :D)
17. Put together Present Bags for Teachers!
18. Take Presents to Teachers :)
19. Take Mini Stockings to Policeman (filled with candy of choice)
20. Clean out toys and Donate them
21. Christmas Shopping (last minute if needed)
22. Look at Christmas Lights in the neighborhood
23. Bake Cookies for Santa!

Nothing sexier than a man who bakes ;)

24. Polar Express Night!

1. Put on your new PJ's
2. Make your Hot Cocoa
3. Polar Express Movie

(this is my favorite night of the whole thing! We actually take a breather before the chaos and I love the family time together.)

25. Merry Christmas!!!!

    At least that is what the kids look for right? Here is what we do...We "feed the reindeer", put the kiddo in bed, make it look like Santa was here, put the rest of the gifts together, make elf prints, clean up the house, prep for breakfast, chug about a gallon of Coffee, try not to kill all the other adults in the house as we run into each other in the process, and somewhere along the way we get great memories like these...

     Christmas is so magical when you're little and soooo much work when you're older. But with a little planning and clear goal in mind I've found that it can be a lot of fun as an adult too. Just remember that in the long run it's about family and giving and not about the gifts. Just keep it simple and family oriented and I guarantee you will have a fantastic Christmas Advent Season. Early Merry Christmas Planning Everyone!

                         

Best Wishes,

Jules & Monkey

Hot Chocolate-y Goodness

I wrap the needed items for our Advent Calendar and put them on our mantle
so we can enjoy our adventures each day! 

   As a part of our family Advent Calendar every year we do different things to help teach our son that Christmas is about so much more than just Santa and gifts. It is about family, helping others, and (most importantly) about Jesus. One of the ways we encourage family time is with our favorite Christmas movies. We all pile on the couch with popcorn and Hot Chocolate and Nache food and we enjoy watching a good movie together. But let's face it...hot chocolate out of the pouches is pretty bland and no one wants to spend a lot a time making hot chocolate from scratch on the stove. So I spent some time researching hot chocolate recipes and found one on Pinterest (shocker, I know :D) that I printed out. I haven't been able to find it since then though so I'm going to include for you a PDF as well as the recipe here. 
   The original is from FamilyFun.com and is called Best Hot Cocoa Mix. They suggest using it for gifting mainly but I find with a few tweaks and additives it becomes quite delish and amazing for both family time and gifting! 
              Homemade Hot Chocolate

   ~2 Cups Nonfat Dry Milk Powder ( I prefer a higher milk content)
   ~3/4 Cup Sugar
   ~1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
   ~1/2 Cup Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips
   ~1/2 Cup Powdered Non-dairy Creamer (french vanilla flavored is pretty good too!)
   ~1/8 Teaspoon Salt

Mix everything together until evenly blended. You can split into fourths at this point and put into Ziploc baggies or you can store in an airtight container for individual use. 

To make one cup: Mix 8 oz of boiling water with 3-4 tablespoons of mix. Stir well.

Additives: Candy Cane Stirrers, Mini Marshmallows, Big Marshmallows, Homemade Whip Cream, Liquor (if your old enough), Chocolate Straws, etc. Let your imagination run wild!

I find that boiling water in the coffee pot and adding to the mix in the cup works best. Everyone's tastes are different so you may like a little more or less mix so play around with it a little.

Christmas is crazy regardless of where you are and how you celebrate. Sometimes taking a moment and just relaxing with a steamy cup of Hot Chocolate surrounded by family is just the thing to take the "Christmas Crazy" edge off. I hope you enjoy this great little way to cut the work out and get straight to the family time!

Warning: Hot Chocolate may cause extreme Sugar High's that
produce Parental Silliness and Toddler Laughter.

Best Wishes,

Jules and Monkey

The Holiday Clean Up!

 

   How many of you find yourselves scrambling when you realize the Holidays are coming and that means the Family is too? I realized this year that I don't Spring Clean, I Holiday Clean! The floors, beds, pillows, towels, windows, machines, corners, even painting sometimes...and that is on top of the normal holiday decorating and shopping and wrapping and cooking. I'm tired just thinking about it! So here's the deal, I cheat. That's right...I said it, I cheat. Frankly, you should too! The Holidays are crazy for Moms so why should we add more chaos to our already chaotic schedule? I'm all about my Shortcuts and at the Holidays I go into full gear and now you can too!

Our little Monkey hanging out in the wash :)

   Let's start with the Washer. Twice a year you should clean this simply because of the build-up that can happen. That build-up is what causes that mildew smell to get into some of your clothes and towels. Cleaning it is pretty easy. I found a few links via Pinterest that I combined for my favorite cleaning.
  1. Take the middle column of your top loader washer apart. It literally pops off. Put your thumbs on the inside of the top of the column and squeeze the outside with your fingers and pull up.
  2. Pull those those two pieces apart and soak in hot sudsy water and then wipe down with a sponge and rinse with water.
  3. On the Bulk setting with the hottest water, fill your washer and add one cup of Bleach. Let it agitate for one minute and then turn it off for one hour. After that turn your washer on again and let it run through the whole cycle.
  4. Repeat again with one cup of Apple Cider Vinegar. While it is sitting and soaking take a cloth and wipe down the washer on the inside. Get up at the top and around the rim of the washer barrel.
  5. Wipe down the outside with your choice of wipes (clorox, lysol, seventh generation, etc.).
  6. Run the washer through a normal cycle on the hot setting again with no pause.
Your washer is now nice and sparkly clean. Just don't forget to put your middle column back in again before washing your clothes :)

Here are the links I used to get the best clean for my washer!
http://stephmakesstuff.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/cleaning-a-top-loading-washer/
http://mommyjenna.com/2013/04/how-to-clean-a-top-load-washer-video/
http://www.ringaroundtherosies.net/2013/10/cleaning-a-top-load-washer.html

Because in beach towns, towels happen a LOT!!!!

   The second thing I dove into cleaning is my towels. When visitors come and stay over, they end up using your towels (big and little). You want them to smell fresh and new without having to buy brand new ones. I personally like things that are nice and fluffy too and cleaning them like this can make your towels fluffy again! After awhile towels absorb a build-up of detergent and become less absorbent. It can cause them to smell mildewed and stale. When you get out of the shower and dry off that smell can transfer to you and make you feel like you showered for nothing. As a mom who gets very few relaxing showers I want to make sure my shower smell sticks. I want to smell like my awesome body wash for days not minutes! So I went on a hunt and yet again Pinterest came to the rescue.(http://www.pinterest.com/pin/277604764502995668/)
  1. Wash your towels on the hottest setting you can with one cup Apple Cider Vinegar in place of your detergent. Do not use any softener or bleach either.
  2. Once this wash cycle ends restart it with 1/2 cup of baking soda. Try not to let too much time lapse in between  these two washes. This time around I also put in about half a lid of Downy Unstoppables.
  3. I threw the whole load into the dryer as soon as the cycle stopped the second time around. Make sure your dryer vent is thoroughly cleaned off so the towels dry as fast as possible. If you need to run them through the dryer again put the dryer on the air fluff setting. This will not only dry your towels but help restore them to their former fluffy glory!
I spent a good five minutes after pulling all the towels out just smelling the deliciousness of them. I even folded them right away so the cat couldn't get a sniff and try to make my laundry pile her new favorite fluffy spot. :)

Some sheets and blankets are more important than others,
and take more of a beating.

   
   The beautiful thing is that your bed sheets can be washed the same way as your towels. When they are done pull them out and fold the bottom sheet, top sheet, and all but one of your pillow cases. Tuck your bottom sheet into the middle of your top sheet, lay your pillow cases on top of the bottom sheet, and put the whole sheet "sandwich" into your final pillowcase. Easy storage, less room, and you know what sheet set it is!

Our travel pillows that I made! Straight neck savers :)

   The pillows were next for me. You can do between 2 and 4 at a time in your wash depending on the size of your washing machine. I found that this particular link was beyond helpful! When they were done drying My toddler, hubby, and I pounded on the pillows to straighten them back out and put them back on the beds!

when men help with laundry...all laughter erupts :)

   The best part of all of these is that you can walk away. There are a few active moments in the process and you have to keep an ear out for the change over but all in all you can spend your day doing other things that you want to do like decorating or baking. However, these simple things will make all your visitors this holiday season feel just a little more luxurious and you will feel like you conquered that hosting thing finally! Fluffier pillows, matching sheets, the best smelling towels in town...and that is just the beginning.

   We all know Family is first but at the Holidays everyone seems to jump on this idea even more so. Unfortunately it also comes with judgement and snarky comments at times. Try and remember that not all moms are created equal this year. Some moms may not have more on their plate but different things on their plate. While you and I believe in taking shortcuts to have time with our families someone else may not. Bear in mind that Thanksgiving and Christmas isn't about the best house or decorations or even the best behaved kids. It's about family and the time spent with them. Take your family as they come and love them where they are at. 

Best Wishes,

Jules and Monkey

Bread!

     "Hi. My name is Jules and I have an entire family that has an extreme carb addiction". Normally this would be where you would say "Hi Jules"! Except that we do not apologize for it and in fact we try to accommodate it...especially me since it allows a great opportunity to get a ton of whole grains into my family. Hey, if you can't beat 'em join 'em right? So Everyone who knows me knows I love to bake but that i don't have a lot of time and I have a pretty picky audience so these two bread recipes that I have found have been tested and approved both time and taste wise. I hope that they work for you too!

      The first is The Amazing No-Knead Bread, a five minute bread that can be made as a white or wheat bread. It has a crunchy crust and a chewy center that is fantastic for panini's and stews and even as a bread bowl! It's amazing! I found the recipe through Mary Beth, my college suite-mate who is a SAHM. She was right. It's easy and delicious. The website not only walks you through the process but the writer is nice enough to provide pictures as well for people like me. I'm constantly second guessing bread dough for some reason but this bread...you can't screw it up! No matter what it will be delicious :) 

Quick photo of my first loaf before my boys devoured it :)

       The second is Potato Flake Sourdough Bread. I grew up on this bread and to this day it is one of my favorites. Everyone gets scared at the idea of keeping something alive in their fridge but it's easy! I can't keep the flowers on my back porch alive but Lord knows I can keep my Starter alive. This site walks you through from creating your starter, feeding it (like a pet :D), and making your bread. I make cinnamon rolls, mini loaves, and regular loaves from this. It really is my go to bread and it takes so little time that I have loaves going at least once a week. Unfortunately they don't last long enough for pictures sooo...hopefully in the future I can add some :) 

      Also, as a side note. If you don't own any  Mason Jars...go buy some. I use them for storage, decorating, my sourdough starter (**hint, hint**). They're versatile across the house and garage for any need  and are incredibly cheap. annnnd...they come in all sorts of fun sizes. So go. Buy. Now. Well, after you finish reading anyways :D

Happiness is a crust smile :)

       Being a working mom isn't always easy, and often we have to sacrifice certain things to make our schedules work, but homemade food shouldn't be one of them. I want my son to be able to look back and say that growing up our house always smelled like good food and fresh bread. These recipes help me accomplish those goals. Hopefully they will help you accomplish your mommy dreams too!

                                               Best Wishes,

                                            Jules & Monkey

Gotta love PJ's and cuddle time!

Thanksgiving Dinner Made Easy!

Thanksgiving is coming!!! I'm so excited it's almost comical. I have a crazy relationship with my kitchen I must admit. It's where I go to de-stress and bake up some yummy deliciousness that I then proceed to make everyone try. So Thanksgiving dinner to me is a little weird. It's in my Kitchen (that I love) but it is crazy stressful with the planning and shopping and cooking and chaos and then afterwards the mountain of dishes...So last year I typed it all out. The Menu, the recipes I was using, the  Grocery List, etc. This year...not so stressful. That said I figured I would share the amazing stress free world I'm living in, in this regard :) In this post you will find the Menu, Grocery List, and Recipes. I'll even throw in a few tricks to make it even easier and make you look like the perfect Holly Homemaker this Thanksgiving!

First, the break down of this meal. There are several made from scratch dishes on this menu for the decadence factor. There are also a few box items that are for the sheer ease of things. As well, there are a few classic recipes that no dinner would be complete without as well as some newer items that are family favorites in my family. I will link the recipes from their original spots so you can print them out. As well, the family recipes have been typed up and linked as well for you. Print everything out and put them in a binder (preferably in those awesome cheap sheet protectors that keep your recipes safe and means you can make a mess while cooking! :D) As well, I will mark which ones you can do the day before to make your days easier.Onward ho to the fun!!!!

The Menu!

DB = Day Before

Thanksgiving Breakfast & Dinner

Breakfast:

Bacon

Sausage

Biscuits

Oatmeal

Eggs

(Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake ~ Alternate for easier morning and earlier Thanksgiving meal   ~ [Pinterest Find and AmAzInG:D]) DB - Not included in the grocery list as this is a relatively new find for me. If you choose this option please add to your list :) I know I added it to mine this year!

Dinner:

Turkey (Robert Irvine)

Cranberry Salsa (Kelly’s Recipe) DB

Stuffing ~ Bag - follow the directions on the bag you choose. As well make sure you add to your menu planning the extra ingredients that it may require as each brand is different.

Green Bean Casserole ~ I personally omit the soy sauce and add 1tsp of salt instead. family              preference :)

Green Beans   

Glazed Carrots

Sweet Potato Casserole (The Neely's)

Mashed Potatoes

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes ~ Betty Crocker Boxed - follow the directions on back

Gravy 

Hawaiian Rolls (store bought) ~ warm in oven while setting the rest of the food out

Macaroni and Cheese (Paula Deen’s)

Pecan Pie (Paula Deen) ~ DB

Pumpkin Cheesecake ~ Sara Lee (frozen Section) (put in fridge DB)

Now the Grocery List. I personally use a completely separate list only because I start shopping for the things that I can early on. Having a running list of what I need makes it easier for me to keep track of where I am at. I also try to delegate certain shelves in my kitchen just so I don't get carried away one day and make awesome dishes out of food that was meant for another day :)

This will sound weird to some but I have fun with it...go grocery shopping in your kitchen. You will be surprised at what you already have on hand. Mark it off on your grocery list and set it aside in your kitchen. Come your true shopping day it won't seem as overwhelming and your wallet won't seem as empty at the end!

(Yes, this is my shelf of Thanksgiving awesomeness...I nabbed it from my sweet Hubby for a couple of weeks since that is normally his snack shelf :D)

I think that about wraps it up ladies :) I hope this Thanksgiving is a little less stressful and a little more relaxing for you. Let me know if there are any questions you have about the recipes. I know some of them seem too easy and others a little complicated but I'm more than happy to help if I can!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jules

 PS ~ This is Christmas 2010 when Monkey was all of 4 Months and we had three different Christmases in our family. Was I stressed? YES! Too much to play with my adorable love? Never! Plan ahead ladies, you'll appreciate it later on :) Cause that adorable little man is what our holidays are really about. What are yours about? I'd love to hear!

25 Days of Christmas

Ok, I know...Halloween and Thanksgiving haven't even passed and here I am posting about Christmas. It's because if most people are like our family then Christmas is a fine tuned orchestral number. The budget, the family, the traditions, and the traveling all perfectly in tune with each other...all while keeping our two year old happy and away from the foot stompin', high pitched whinin', terrible two behavior that makes anyone want to drive off a bridge on a good day. Due to that I wanted to give everyone some time to get things together without the hectic-ness. That said, We are trying to teach Monkey at a young age that Christmas is not just about gifts and Santa and awesome cookies but also about Christ's birth and sacrifice. It's about recognizing what we have and being grateful for it as well as spreading the joy of the season and the love of Christ. I researched advent calendars for about two weeks straight and found so many wonderful ideas. Ultimately though to accommodate my family and where we are at in life this is what I landed on...

Everyday was planned based on the day of the week and our paycheck. Obviously some things cost more money than others. I am in the process of writing each day out on a cute Christmas themed post card and putting it in an envelope with the corresponding number. Since we want these things to be our family traditions I can reuse the cards and envelopes in the future and just swap out the days they belong to! 

Next comes the fun part. Some days require objects to achieve that days mission. I'm collecting those now and wrapping them as I go. It gives me a chance to set the tone of our Christmas decorating from the start, have something extra to decorate the house with, and provides my Hubby (who is a permanent child in this area) something to open!

Once December 1st comes Hubby and Monkey can open the letter to see what we are doing and then off to the adventure! As things get closer I will post pictures to go with but for now I'm in the early phases. 

However, as promised (drum roll please...) here is the list!

Happy (Early) Holidays!

Jules